Strepy-Thieu Boat Lift

Strepy-Thieu opened in 2002 to replace the four historic lifts and the locks on the old Canal du Centre with a single structure capable of taking 1,350-tonne barges, and it does the whole climb at once: two independent caissons, each holding about eight thousand tonnes of water and boat, are raised and lowered seventy-three metres by cables and counterweights inside a concrete block a hundred and seventeen metres high. It was the largest boat lift in the world by height until the Three Gorges lift in China opened in 2016, and it remains the largest in Europe. A visitor centre inside the structure explained the engineering, and boat trips ran through the lift and down the old canal to the historic lifts, until the provincial association that ran both stopped: the site closed to the public on 31 October 2025. A tourist reception point with the fifth-floor panorama and two exhibitions reopened on weekends in August and September 2026 while Wallonia looked for a new operator, expected for the 2027 season - check what is running before travelling.

History

The Canal du Centre opened in 1879, with locks and four lifts of 16 metres built between 1888 and 1919 that could take boats of up to 300 tonnes, too small by the 1960s for the new European standard of 1,350 tonnes. The lift was built to replace two locks and the four old lifts, begun in 1982 and finished in 2002 at a cost of about 160 million euros, and it raised traffic from 256 kilotonnes in 2001 to 2,295 kilotonnes in 2006, and until 2016, when the Three Gorges ship lift opened, it was the tallest boat lift in the world (Wikipedia, Strépy-Thieu boat lift).

What to look for

• A seventy-three-metre lift in one movement - the largest of its kind in Europe.
• Two caissons of eight thousand tonnes - the tanks that carry boats and water.
• The machinery hall - cables and counterweights inside the concrete block.
• Boat trips through the lift - riding up or down in the caisson; not running since the operator stopped in 2025.

When to go

April to October was the boat-trip season until 2025; in 2026 only a reception point opened, on weekends in August and September. Two to three hours when the viewing floor is open.

What to expect

It is a working commercial structure. The visitor centre and boat trips stopped in 2025 and a new operator was expected for 2027, so check what is open. Interpretation is in French with some English. The concrete block is not beautiful and the surrounding area is industrial.

Nearby

The four historic lifts are on the old canal alongside; Ronquieres lies north.

Key facts